This invention relates to a laundry pre-spotter composition effective for the removal of stains on fabrics, and the method of using same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pre-spotter composition which comprises a suitable combination of a plurality of solvents and a nonionic surface active agent which may be admixed with an anionic surface active agent as an additional ingredient.
The removal of certain kinds of stains, particularly greasy stains, organic or inorganic, has been and still remains a problem for the consumer. Suggested solutions consist of reinforcing the washing conditions, such as increasing the concentration of the detergent, increasing the temperature of the washing solution, or increasing the agitation. However, these efforts are not always sufficient or desirable since they may cause damage to the fabrics. For delicate fabrics, the above-listed suggestions cannot be applied since delicate fabrics must be washed at low temperatures and agitation. Furthermore, a stain is localized to a particular spot on the fabric and it would be illogical and wasteful to treat the entire item to wash out one stain.
Late in the nineteen sixties, some pre-spotters which were to be used on stains prior to washing appeared on the U.S. market. These pre-spotters usually contain mixtures of surface active materials and solvents used for dry cleaning. The solvent assists in dissolving some components of the stains while the surface active agent emulsifies or solubilizes the components which are soluble in water but not dissolved by the solvent. The surface active agent also helps against soil redeposition by modifying the surface tension at the soil--fabric interface.
Most soils or stains deposited on fabrics may be listed in three groups: (1) solvent soluble soils, e.g., human sebum and its degradation products; (2) water soluble soils, e.g., perspiration, food and so forth; and (3) insoluble soils, e.g., dust. This explains why one chemical cannot be expected to be efficient on all types of soils.
The present invention is directed to a specially formulated pre-spotter composition which is more efficient on a broad spectrum of stains than presently available pre-spotters.